Petition won't have any effect in long run

Wednesday

Nov 14, 2012 at 12:01 AM

In the wake of last week's election, once again Americans are reminded in what a great country they reside. Voting took place peacefully, and incumbents who lost will willingly give up their seats to the victor. No one took up arms as a result of the outcome, despite bitter disappointment in some quarters.

In the wake of last week's election, once again Americans are reminded in what a great country they reside. Voting took place peacefully, and incumbents who lost will willingly give up their seats to the victor. No one took up arms as a result of the outcome, despite bitter disappointment in some quarters.Democracy once again showed it can handle citizens with diverse viewpoints. But those whose candidate lost, especially in the presidential election, now must decide how they will handle their feelings. Some resort to pronouncements of doom and gloom and predict woe for the nation. Others find comfort in wild conspiracy theories with no basis in fact as "evidence" of a rigged election. The best approach is to acknowledge the desire for a different outcome but now to support the nation's elected leaders.That doesn't mean everyone will agree with the course charted by the winners. The nation has a two-party system for a reason (with plenty of other parties for those who seek an alternate path from the Democrats or Republicans). Checks and balances put into place by the Founding Fathers also come into play, as President Obama governs with a Democratic Senate but a Republican House. But all Americans should agree they want their elected leaders to work together and find compromises to address the nation's problems.One option that shouldn't be seriously considered by those unhappy with the election's outcome is to seek drastic action on a state level. The Obama Administration welcomes petitions from citizens on specific issues, but one gaining some traction now involves those that ask the federal government to allow certain states to secede from the union. Some Davidson County residents have signed the petition asking that North Carolina be allowed to take such action.It might make one temporarily feel better to sign off on such a petition, but in reality such action is not going to happen. And if somehow it could, signers would very quickly discover the many services the federal government provides that would disappear. It can be easy to rail against big government, but almost everyone takes advantage of government programs in some form or fashion. A better debate would be about the size of government and the taxation levels as opposed to the drastic option of pulling out altogether.Any group grows stronger when it can take diverse viewpoints on opposite ends of the spectrum and find a position in the middle that works for the majority. Not everyone will be happy, but government shouldn't take place on the extremes. Conditions today certainly don't warrant forming a new government, as was necessary back in 1776.